Punch / Knockdown / Stinger

I tried to search to see if this was posted previously but did not find any. Sorry for the repeat if there is a thread.

Here is my question on knockdown shots.

This my understanding:

1. grip down
2. play back in stance.
3. hands ahead of ball.
4. 3/4 - full back swing.
5. don't swing thru to hard or that will cause backspin and increase height of shot.
6. low abrupt waist high follow thru.


my problem:

I cannot make solid contact and my shots just roll or on the ground (worm burner?) or if I do contact it I will get a low trajectory which want but it gradually slices off right or my wrists flip over and I hook it.

Any thoughts?

When they demonstrated this on the golf channel they made it seem so simple.

You still have to release the hands through...you are probably quiting before impact. The ball position will keept it low, but don't release hard and this will keep the spin off it... This should help.

It's mostly about practise, if you practise that shot for a few weeks you'll get the feel of how much to release. Also something that may help, when trying to hit it low, you want to try and pull your left forearm towards the target line, it help's you to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead.

Hope it helps.

if you are like me and have big wide stupid ugly fat soles on the bottom of your club, its almost darn near impossible

i cant wait to get me some better clubs, graduation present....hehe

I have found that putting the ball too far backwards makes me tend to hook it real bad because when it is back in my stance it is at the in to out part of my swing and it goes up a bit from hitting it on the downswing. If I put it just before the middle of my stance and hit it exactly where my swing bottoms out I hit a nice strait punch. I also stand further from the ball to help flatten my swing path.

Use a longer club (I use 2 clubs longer). A 3/4 knockdown swing with this longer club should give you roughly the same distance as a full swing with the shorter club.

Assume your normal setup. For me this means:
- gripping so that my clubface is neutral
- I don't choke down
- my hands should still be in the middle when I address the ball

The only modifications I make are:
- aligning about 10 degrees to the left of the target
- move the ball back a couple of inches. The forward angle of the shaft is created by the ball being back and not by moving the hands forward - leave the hands where you would put them for a normal shot.
- perform a normal 3/4 swing.

if its slicing you probably are not hitting the inside quarter of the ball. Aim for the inside quarter of the ball.

what club are you trying this with?

I use this shot to get out of trouble, especially if I am under trees or behind trees and need to punch the ball low through a gap with good travel. I tend to use a 5 iron and grip down, this keeps the ball flying low due to the low loft of the 5 and the reduced follow through that negates back spin.

If I am under trees and within say 80 yards of the green I use the same shot but with a chipping action (ball back in stance, no break of the wrists and keep the back of my hand facing the target on follow through).

Works for me
Regards Brian

I have just one thing to add......

It sound to me like you are doing everything correct fundimentally you are simply gripping the club too tight because you feel like you are punching it out, this will also stop you releasing the club head thus a fade or slice.

Try doing everything you were doing before just have a light grip....................remember the ball weighs about as much as a small bird and doesn't require smashing just because its under a tree etc.


Hope this helps

Ian.

just release the hands and it should work.

Liam,

Also make sure you are making a normal turn and not using only arms and hands to get the club back. Getting too handsy can cause inconsistent contact.

This is actually a pretty simple shot, I use it all when there is alot of wind, if I need to keep it under trees or be really accurate. Forget all of the technical stuff. I watched a champions clinic on the golf channel and tiger was explaining how he hit this shot, its simple and it really works. Play the ball in the same stance and position, dont change that, just abbreviate the takeaway to a 3/4 swing, make sure to hinge the wrist, accelerate through the ball and abbreviate the follow through(stop the club at about chest high) and you will have a very accurate shot with a nice flat trajectory with any club. Some players do play the ball back in the stance but it changes how you come into the ball, I dont know about you but I prefer to keep it as simple as possible.

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That one may very well be the main point for you, if you swing only with your arms you won't get the required club speed to lift the ball. This is actually a shot that I try hitting with my shoulders, the arms are kind of along for the ride. When toy begin practicing this you will hit some ugly hooks at first, but you will eventually get the arms to move away from the body in the follow-thru and get it right. Its a great shot on par 3s into a headwind. I usually take two clubs more and punch it in there while my buddies try to muscle their own regular clubs and baloon all over the place.